Author's note:  Okay, I admit.  Despite the fact that I'm a HUGE Ranma fan, I have only read the manga scans of Volume 38 which, for some reason I can't get to right now.  This, combined with other stuff I have read is what I based the last part of this fic on.  So, if the details of this next part are kind of vague, please forgive me.  I'll try to make up for it in other ways that I hope don't affect the story TOO much.  When I feel more comfortable with my familiarity with the last volume of the manga, I may rewrite this.  But, for now, I hope you enjoy what I have!

Bedtime Story:  The Third Chapter

"Is the bathroom break over?"
"Hayup."
"So I can continue the story now?"
"YEAH!"

"Like I said earlier, Sentaro was always rescuing Skuld from people, especially those who wanted to take her away from him.  Sentaro had learned a long time ago that he didn't hate the engagement with Skuld as much as he claimed.  As a matter of fact, he thought that someday, he really would marry Skuld.  Before he could marry her though, he wanted to get rid of the curse that changed him into a girl.  As long as he changed into a girl, there was no way that he was no way he could be completely manly.  After all, if he married Skuld, she'd be getting one of the best martial artists in the world.  Shouldn't he be the manliest of martial artists to boot?

One day, Sentaro left Nerima in search of his cure.  He had tried to cure the curse many times before, but each of his past attempts was quite unsuccessful (that means that they didn't work).  He was positive that this time the cure was in sight, so he left Skuld at home all alone so that she would be safe."

The man swallowed.  The next part of the story was always difficult for him.  He could barely deal with it himself, how was he supposed to tell it to a four-year-old?  "This next part is kind of hard for me to tell," he admitted.
"Why?"
"Uhm…well…you know how sometimes something hurts you so much you can't speak?"
"Like the time I fell out of the tree and it hurt so much all over I couldn't even breathe?"
"Yeah, kind of like that.  Except that this is a different kind of hurt.  This part makes me remember things that make my heart hurt."
"Oh," the boy whispered sympathetically.  "In that case, you don't have to tell EVERYTHING.  But…mommy says that, if you have a hurt, you have to tell someone so they can maybe fix it or else the hurt won't go away."
The man smiled.  "Mommy is very smart.  How about I tell you the gist of it?"
"What's the gist?"
"The gist is the most of the story without all the gory details."
"Okay.  I like the gist!"

"Skuld was kidnapped and brought to the place where Sentaro was fighting a bad monster, the monster that wanted to take away his cure.  Because she wanted to help Sentaro, Skuld grabbed the magic wand that would help free him from his curse.  Unfortunately, the wand sucked up all the water out of Skuld's body and she shrank to the size of a tiny doll.  Sentaro was very upset.  He thought Skuld would be a doll forever!  When a soldier who knew the power of the wand told him that he could cure Skuld with another wand the monster had, Sentaro decided to battle the monster again so that Skuld could return to normal.  To keep Skuld safe, he tucked her into his shirt and kept her close to his heart.  Sentaro had to hurry because, if Skuld stayed in doll form for too long, she would remain that way forever.

Sentaro put all he had into that battle, but the monster refused to give up.  Finally, he put all his strength into one last move and blasted the monster into the heavens.  With the wand he was able to restore Skuld to her normal size, but it was too late…she had been a doll for too long.

Sentaro called Skuld's name out over and over, but she didn't answer. She was so still…it was like she was asleep.  Sentaro was so afraid that she would never wake up, that he would never be able to see her again.  He didn't know what he would do without Skuld in his life.  He got mad.  Why would she do that for him?  Why would she risk her life when he was so mean to her, when he called her names and said that he would never want to marry her?  Why…" the voice faltered. 

"Because she loved him," came a voice from the doorway.

The man glanced up to see a woman standing just inside the room.  She crossed over to kneel down in front of him, taking his hands in hers and looking into his eyes.

"For all the names he called her, she called him names right back.  A lot of the time, she hit him for no good reason at all.  But, even though they fought all the time, they were also very kind to each other.  He had risked his own life for her many times before.  She thought it was only natural to return the favor.

When she grabbed the wand that she thought would cure his curse, she only did it because she knew that having the cure would make him happy.  She had stopped caring about his curse a long time before.  To her, his happiness was all she ever wanted.  She would risk anything to make him happy.  She loved him more than anything."

"Even more than dessert?" the boy asked wonderingly.
The woman smiled.  "Even more than the most delicious dessert you could ever imagine."

"Sentaro didn't know how Skuld felt at all.  They were really good at hiding their feelings," the man continued.  "He held her and tried to wake her up, but nothing worked."

"Did he give her a kiss?  In mommy's stories, the prince kisses the princess and she always wakes up."

"That's a great question.  You see, since Sentaro grew up with his father, he didn't know anything about waking up sleep princesses.  Instead, he just cried and cried.  As he cried, he realized that he loved Skuld.  He wanted to marry her and make her his princess for the rest of his life and beyond.  He was mad and sad that he would never get a chance to tell her this.  He begged her to wake up.  He felt all his feelings for Skuld fill up every inch of his soul, his heart seemed to bubble up with the words, 'I never go to tell you that I love you!'" the man paused to look at the woman, his eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Skuld felt his words deep in her heart, the knowing spread throughout her body, filling her up with life from her head to her toes.  She looked up at Sentaro, all the joy inside of her sparkled in her eyes," the woman said, beginning to stand and pulling the man up with her.

"Sentaro knew at that moment that he was given a very special gift, a gift he would be sure to take extra special care of because he couldn't bear losing it ever again," the man tilted the woman's face up to meet his and began to lower his mouth to hers.

"Less kissing, more story!" the boy demanded.
The woman laughed.  "Less story, more sleeping.  We just got back.  Your mom will be up here in a minute to check up on you and your baby-sitter will be in big trouble if you aren't sleeping."
"But Aunty 'Kane, Uncle Wanma isn't done yet!  Was that the end of the story, Uncle Wanma?"
Ranma smiled.  "Actually, that was only the beginning."